


An Echoing Melody

by KianRai_Delcam



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Troopers Bonding, Clone Wars, Echo plays the piano, Echo's death, Fives and his brother, Gen, Headcanon, Mando'a, Piano, clone headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 03:38:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13472910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KianRai_Delcam/pseuds/KianRai_Delcam
Summary: After the events of the Citadel, Fives clutches a recorder in his hand, the sound playing from it an echoing melody. When his fellow brothers hear the sound, they come together to remember their lost brother.





	An Echoing Melody

It echoed through the halls, that haunting melody.

Echo often called it Trikar'la Tome'tayl but Fives always preferred the title Eyayah's Laar. Especially now that Echo was no longer around to play it. He had written it himself as a dedication to his fallen brothers, the melancholic, soft notes revealing an undercurrent of hope. Fives personally questioned the inclusion of the lighter tones spread throughout the piece, but Echo, well he echoed their Generals’ words. “There is no death, there is only the Force, brother, and one day, we’re gonna get to see them again,” Echo had said. It became tradition for Echo to play it not long after, with the clones gathering in the lounge as they remembered those they had lost.

Most of his vode were currently in their bunks, either sleeping off the Citadel or their grief at the news. It was always somber when they returned without a brother, but this was different. There was no clone congregation in the lounge and the piano sat there silent as a ghost. Instead, the music played from a recording device Fives had “procured” a long time ago from Kamino. It was long past curfew on the ship, but Fives never cared much for rules anyway. He played Eyayah’s Laar, his knuckles turning white from clutching the recorder so hard and his eyes strangely dry.

A soft “ahem” didn’t draw his attention, although the voice was clearly feminine and that of his commander’s. Her large blue eyes begin to water, although Fives doesn’t seem to notice. “Hey, Fives,” she says softly, “I was just off to my piloting shift. I’ll tell Anakin to let you sleep in tomorrow.”

Fives’ only response is to nod as Ahsoka walks away, unsure herself how to handle the “situation.” “You know, other Jedi might not have responded well to you breaking curfew,” this time the voice is identical to his own, and he looks up to see Rex and others of the 501st behind him.

“I could say the same to you, sir,” Fives’ voice is stronger than he expects, something for which he is secretly proud of.

They shuffle into the lounge, taking their seats as Fives hits the pause button. No one talks, the silence in the room lasting for several, long moments until Rex speaks up, his voice strangely lacking the authority it normally held. “I remember when you and Echo were Shinies back on Rishi. I was the one who gave him that handprint on his armor,” Rex offers.

Fives wants to retort, fight back, ask the point of all this, but he can’t. Instead, he accepts the gift from his captain and, as difficult as it is, he pushes away the image of Echo’s smoking helmet from his mind. In its place, he sees Echo bragging as he meticulously repaints the blue handprint on his freshly clean, up to regs white armor. “Yeah, and he wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks. Rex, you were the cause of many of the 501st headaches.”

A few clones laugh as they reminisced. True, it had been annoying at the time as Echo had recanted his heroic tale and how their oh so brave and oh so talented Captain shot the worm in the eye with one shot. But it was also true that it had ingratiated the regs stickler to the rest of the 501st, and Echo was no longer a negative name. “So was Echo! I mean, did he memorize the training manual,” Hardcase calls from the back.

“Oh, that dinii did, I promise you that,” Fives laughs back, “What’s worse was he seemed to enjoy it.”

The laughter dies down as they realize Fives has not yet started the song back up. “Well? Are you going to play it, vod,” Fives cannot identify who said it, his attention is back on the recorder in his hand.

It was all that he had left of his brother. It was all that was left of Echo, really. There were more songs on it, of course. Echo had insisted Fives record every new song he came up with. “So I don’t forget them, you know.” He had simply laughed, even as he gave in to Echo’s demands. He had told him that he doubted Echo could forget anything, that he made it difficult for anyone to forget anything. “So I don’t forget you, brother,” his voice is soft, yet the silence in the room allows his voice to carry.

“He wrote a song for the Republic, I think he called it Ke’gyce. Can you play that,” a shiny in the front asks, his voice almost shy and certainly hesitant, “It makes me proud to be a soldier.”

Fives does not respond but he does comply with the rookie’s wish. With a few clicks, a proud anthem is playing, the notes emanating from the piano are both strong, low, and fast. Fives was not quite sure how such a stickler for the rules was able to express such creativity. All he knew was how excited Echo was when El-Les offered to teach him the intricacies of the instrument. Fives had scoffed. “I what you mean there, kid. It reminds me more of the General, if I’m being honest, though. Ba ba bum ba da bum ba da bum…” Hardcase hums, his eyes unfocused as he stares at the ceiling. 

He shakes his head at the comment, broken from his reverie. Fives looks at the new transfer and grins, “If this song reminds you of General Skywalker, then this one,” Fives taps a button on the recorder, “should remind you of our little Commander.”

This time, the music is soft and light, its notes singing of adoration and possibly forbidden feelings (if one read too much into it, of course). This song was new, so most of the clones in the lounge with him had never heard it before. Their surprise certainly showed, as this song was more a love song than an anthem or tribute. Identical brown eyes all raise in near identical ways, although Fives thought he saw something else in Rex’s eyes. He laughs as the song fades away, humming with the tune as it disappears, “da dah, da da da dah daahh..”

Not a single word is uttered as Fives simply smiles a knowing smile, his grin as wide as Shili’s sky. He runs a hand through his short hair as he winks, “Echo certainly was something else, wasn’t he?”

If the deafening response wakes half the ship, no one comes to interrupt. And if the barracks are empty in the morning, Anakin Skywalker does not notice. As far as he is concerned in his report, everything is in order and he certainly did not allow his men to go to bed early that night at Ahsoka’s request. And if that haunting melody echoes through the halls the following night, its call will not go unanswered.


End file.
